Comb adjusting mechanism for feeders



Jan. 5, 1937.

I F. L. FURBUSH COMB ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR FEEDERS Filed Aug. 22, 1936 Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNlTED S'lA'ihS Parent QFFICE COMB ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR FEEDERS Application August 22, 1936, Serial No. 97,453

5 Claims.

, This invention relates to automatic feeders used to feed various machines such as openers, washers, dryers, pickers and carders or any other machine where fibrous material is delivered by the feeder to other machines and where an even layer of stock is necessary in order to secure a uniform product.

The invention particularly relates to the mounting of the comb which coacts with the upwardly moving conveyor. This comb in all machines is adjustable nearer to or further from the spiked conveyor and this adjustment has heretofore been made by loosening both of the comb hangers and moving the comb in or out as the circumstances may require. The operator has to go from one side to the other of the machine in order to make the adjustment and in such mechanisms, there is no means of knowing if both sides have been moved the same required distance. These combs, therefore, are difiicult to adjust.

The general object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the comb may be bodily adjusted toward or from the spiked conveyor by adjusting means located to one side of the machine, the adjusting means being so constructed that both ends of the combwill be'shifted uniformly so that the comb will always be parallel to the conveyor belt.

A further object is to provide means for looking the adjusting mechanism in position after the comb has been adjusted.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cleaning machine having a comb adjusting mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention, the side wall of the cleaner being broken away;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the comb and comb adjusting mechanism;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an elevation of one of the comb ad- I justing arms.

In the drawing I have shown an ordinary feeding mechanism-wherein If! designates the side frame of the hopper, I I the bottom conveyor, l2 the spiked conveyor having an upwardly running flight, this conveyor being guided and supported by the rollers I3 in the usual manner. The conveyor discharges into a hood M which in turn discharges downward. Mounted in adjustable hangers on the side walls of the hopper, as will be later described, is a'shaft l5, the shaft at one end being provided with an arm 16. Mounted upon the shaft are the comb supporting arms I! which carry at their inner ends the serrated comb Hi, the comb supporting arms I! carrying counterweights [9 at their outer ends. The arm I6 is connected by a connecting rod 20 to a crank 2i in the usual manner. So far, I have described a construction which is commonly found in devices of this character.

My'improvement consists in mounting the shaft It in hangers 22, one at each end of the shaft l5, these hangers being shown as pivoted at their lower ends, as at 23, upon the side walls of the hopper frame. The upper end of each hanger 22 is segmental in form and provided with the outwardly extending flange 24 with downwardly extending rack teeth 25, these rack teeth being concentric to the pivotal center 23. The upper ends of the hanger arms 22 are arcuately slotted, as at 26, and passing through these slots is a shaft 21 carrying at its opposite ends the pinions 28 which engage the corresponding racks 25.

The shaft carries at one end a hand wheel 29 and the shaft is mounted within a pipe girt 30. The pipe girt 30 is supported in bosses 3| extending outward from the side walls of the hopper frame. At that end of the shaft upon which the wheel 29 is mounted, the shaft 21 is screw threaded at 32 between the adjacent arm 23 and. the adjacent pinion 28. A tightening nut 33 engages these threads and normally bears against the adjacent hanger arm 22. Disposed on one of the side frames is a stop 34 which limits the inward movement of the corresponding arm so as to prevent the comb from coming in contact with the spiked lifting apron.

The action of the oscillating comb is common and well known. When it is desired to adjust this comb nearer to or further from the spiked conveyor, the nut 33 is loosened, which thus permits the shaft 21 to be rotated and this, through the action of the pinions and the coactingracks, causes the simultaneous adjustment of both hangers and the comb carried thereby toward or from the spiked conveyor. When the proper adjustment has been made, the nut 33 is again tightened up, locking the shaft 2'5 in'its adjusted position.

It will be seen that with this construction, the adjustment of the comb is equal at both ends and that adjustment is made from only one side of the machine, thus eliminating the present necessity of a workman loosening bolts on the supporting hangers for the shaft 21 at opposite ends of the machine and attempting to individually adjust each end of the shaft so as to cause the comb to be at all times in a parallel position to the conveyor. With this present adjusting mechanism, the comb may be very quickly and accurately adjusted by a workman from one end of the machine.

While I have illustrated a certain preferred construction which is found particularly effective in actual practice, I do not wish to be limited to the details shown, except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:-

1. In a mechanism of the character described, having side frames, a spiked conveyor operating between the frames and a doffer shaft having dofiing means thereon coacting with the conveyor; arms pivotally supported at one end and supporting the doifer shaft for movement toward or from the conveyor, a shaft extending across the machine and through the side frames, a rack and a pinion disposed at opposite ends of the last named shaft, one being supported by the said arms and the other being held against movement toward or from the conveyor, a shaft extending transversely across the machine and upon which the pinions are mounted, means on one end of the shaft whereby it may be rotated, and releasable means for locking the shaft against movement after adjustment.

2. In a machine of the character described having side frames, a spiked conveyor disposed between the frames and a doffer shaft having dofiing means thereon, coacting with the conveyor; hanger arms pivotally supported at one end and disposed at opposite ends of the ma: chine and mounted'upon the side frames, said arms supporting the doifer shaft for movement toward or from the conveyor, a rack carried by each of the arms, a shaft supported in the side frames and extending entirely across the machine, pinions mounted upon the shaft for engagement with said rack, means at one end of the shaft carrying the pinions whereby the shaft may be rotated, and means for locking the hanger arms in adjusted position.

3. A machine of the character described having side frames, a spiked conveyor operating between the frames, a doffer shaft, a doffer comb carried thereby, and means for axially oscillating the doifer shaft; hanger arms pivotally supported each at its lower end upon the adjacent side frame and supporting the doffer shaft for movement toward or from the conveyor, the upper end of each of the hanger arms having a rack, a shaft operatively supported upon the frame of the machine and extending entirely across the machine and having pinions engageable with said racks, means on one end of the shaft whereby the shaft may be rotated to ad.- just the hanger arms, and means for locking the hanger arms in adjusted positions.

4. A machine of the character described having side frames, a spiked conveyor operating between the frames, a doffer shaft, a doffer comb carried thereby and means for axially oscillating the doffer shaft; hanger arms pivotally supported each at its lower end upon the adjacent side frame and supporting the doffer shaft for movement toward or from the conveyor, the upper end of each of the hanger arms having a downwardly facing rack, the upper end of each arm being arcuately slotted, a shaft sup ported on the frame of the machine and extending entirely across the machine and through said slots in the hanger arms, pinions carried by said shaft and engaging said racks, means whereby said last named shaft may be rotated from one end of the machine, and means for locking the hanger arms in their adjusted positions.

5. A machine of the character described having side frames, a spiked conveyor operating between the frames, a doffer shaft, a doffer comb carried thereby, and means for axiall' oiicillating the doifer shaft; hanger arms pivaal' v supported each at its lower end upon the; adjacent side frame and supporting the doffer shaftdor movement toward or from the conveyor, the upper end of each of the hanger arms having a rack, a shaft operatively supported upon the frame of the machine and extending entirely across the machine and having pinions engageable with said racks, means on one end of the shaft whereby the shaft may be rotated to adjust the hanger arms, means for locking the hanger arms in adjusted positions, including screw threads on the last named shaft, and a nut on the last named shaft engaging one of the hanger arms.

FRANK L. FURBUSH. 

